Ricerc@Sapienza

A previous study concerning the characterization of CuNiSi (C70250) and CuCrZr alloys showed very interesting characteristics of toughness evaluated with tensile tests and preliminary tests on Charpy specimens. These alloys could have interesting applications such as devices used for energy production, particle physics and aerospace. These alloys are used in the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project, an international program of great interest. For this reason, it seems important to characterize the mechanical properties of these alloys.

LARES 2 is a satellite approved by the Italian Space Agency for testing frame-dragging predicted by the theory of general relativity. The design phase is in an advanced stage and therefore some characteristics of the satellite are already defined. The density of the material has to be as high as possible because the satellite is designed to minimize the effects of the non-gravitational perturbations. The orbit of LARES 2 is higher (about 6000 km altitude) than the one of LARES and its mass is lower due to the launch constraints.

A new laser-ranged satellite called LARES 2 (Laser Relativity Satellite 2) has been recently designed for accurate tests of Einsten's theory of General Relativity and space geodesy. Some high density alloys (8.6-9.3 g/dm3) have been studied and characterised for producing the LARES 2 passive satellite. The considered materials were Copper and Nickel based alloys that have been produced and characterised. Aim of this work was to analyse their fracture behaviour that is a requirement for materials to be used for space applications.